Easter show

Easter Monday we had another show in The Netherlands. I had entered our tricolor girls Tia (Intermediate class) and Flirt (Championclass).

After days of running through the sand, mud and water they looked a little shaggy and it took me quite a while to make them look clean and fresh again but I managed :-)
I already knew there were over 60 Shelties entered under judge Roger Bathurst from England (Auldlyn Shelties) and as he was judging Border Collies before the Shelties we would have a long day waiting :-(

Flirt was entered only because after she had won the FCI group 1 at her first show in Holland there had been a lot of comments about the judges (both breed and group) that they didn't know what they were looking for and made funny decisions.....
I thought that when Flirt would get graded 'Excellent' under an English breeder/judge it would show everyone she is a Sheltie that can be perfectly well accepted everywhere as long as she is being judged on her virtues and not her pedigree.

Tia was the first of the two to go into the ring and as usual misbehaved terribly in the ring. I don't know what it isbut she just doesn't seem to be able to stand still for more than 10 seconds.
Maybe once she gets older it will get better, I just hope so as she really is a nice little girl but I can imagine judges can't do much with her like it is now.
She nevertheless got graded 'Excellent' and ofcourse wasn't placed but I was happy as it was already.

After a long wait untill the open bitch class was finished it finally was Flirt's turn, I felt so stupid I had entered her just before going into the ring......
She was in with another champion bitch, imported from England so I had already settled for getting 2nd with Flirt but just hoped she would get graded 'Excellent' as that was were we came for.
I was quite surprised to get 1st with Flirt but it did get even better as in the challenge for Best Bitch she got the Reserve CAC/Reserve CACIB (Reserve Winners Bitch) and that out of an entry of over 40 bitches!

Flirt's judging report was as follows:
Tricolour, gleaming black colour.
Nice head and expression (!!)
Good bone and angulations.
Moving nicely.
Attractive profile

So proud of what she has accomplished so far.